The stage is set in Dallas, Texas, as two worlds collide when
boxing’s Jake Paul steps into the ring against MMA’s Nate Diaz.
However. The co-main event is equally enticing, with fans
treated to a rematch of the grueling slugfest between Amanda
Serrano and Heather Hardy.
A Night for the Favourites
This weekend’s main event is the eagerly anticipated clash
between 6-1 boxer Jake Paul and 21-13 MMA star Nate Diaz. The
latest
Paul vs Diaz odds
have Paul as a heavy 1/4 favourite, but
the 3/1 Stockton-born brawler Diaz has shown numerous times he
can never be counted out.
The hype surrounding the main event has been incredible but the
co-main could steal the show. The
44-2-1 Amanda
Serrano recently
cemented her status as undisputed featherweight champion after a
unanimous decision victory over Erika Cruz Hernandez, and the
Puerto Rican will look to tick another one off the list when she
takes on Heather Hardy.
The 24-2 Hardy is in the twilight years of her career at the
tender age of 41 but will be dreaming of one last run at the
summit of the sport. She has steadied the ship after
back-to-back defeats against Serrano and Jessica Camara, picking
up successive decision wins over 20-15-3 Calista Silgado and
rising prospect Taynna Cardoso.
Serrano and Hardy went all 10 rounds in 2019, with the champion
coming out on top after a real dogfight. The scorecards were
heavily in Serrano’s favour - 98-91, 98-91, 98-92 – leaving her
a massive 1/16 favourite in the
boxing betting
odds as we lead
up to the fight.
Although Hardy showed real resilience in that encounter, there
aren’t many giving the Brooklyn-born boxer a chance. Her recent
majority decision victory over Cardoso in February was far from
convincing, and Hardy will head into the fight as an 8/1
underdog as a result.
Hardy has flitted between MMA and boxing over the years,
fighting in a Bellator event as recently as 2019. That TKO loss
was three months prior to her first bout with Serrano, so fans
will be hoping her sole focus has been on boxing as she looks
for a major scalp of the champion.
Amanda Serrano on the Hunt for Katie Taylor
A dominant victory this weekend no doubt rockets Serrano into
contention for a rematch with Katie Taylor. The two fought last
year, with Taylor coming out on top in a
split-decision
win. The
lightweight champion tasted defeat for the first time in her
career last time out, losing a close-fought majority decision
against undefeated light welterweight champion Chantelle
Cameron.
With Taylor coming off the back of a defeat, an eye-catching
performance for Serrano could set up a huge two-division
unification bout. There were fireworks when these two locked
horns at Madison Square Garden, with Taylor prevailing on the
judges' scorecards: 96-93, 97-93, and 94-96.
A rematch would prove one of the biggest fights in women’s
boxing history. But first, Amanda Serrano needs to navigate a
tricky contest against the dangerous Heather Hardy.
